


Waiting for my love

by rosy_sharpe



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-21 11:54:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30021384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosy_sharpe/pseuds/rosy_sharpe
Summary: Alternate universe where Riley and Mac meet the first day of moving into college and follow their journey as they become best friends to lovers.
Relationships: Riley Davis & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Riley Davis/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 56





	1. 1st Semester of Freshman Year

Mac noticed her, the very first day of moving in, in the chaotic group of excited freshmens and parents roaming the hallway... he noticed her. She caught his eyes, nodded a greeting and smiled and that’s all it took. He was a goner; how could he not be completely overwhelmed by this goddess moving in right down the hall from him. Her hair flowing wildly and her eyes twinkling under the fluorescent lights he can’t look away. She turned away, still smiling widely at anyone walking by with a box full of cables in her arms. With his head turned to look back and take her in he accidentally ran into the wall's fire extinguisher from being so enamored in her beauty and feeling thankful that she's too distracted to see him hit his legs. He went back to his room ready to tell Bozer about a girl he met but realizing he didn't even speak to her or learn her name so he's sure it's just a fleeting feeling from seeing a beautiful woman. For weeks all he did was think about her, anytime his brain decided to get off physics mode her face appeared and he was distracted again. Constantly daydreaming about her, her smile, her wild curls with ends that change color every few weeks. He hadn't even heard her voice yet but he was already obsessed. All he knows is her name because she wrote it on the whiteboard outside her room like all the freshmens were asked to encourage friendships on the floor.

He paid quite a lot of attention to her meaning he ended up knowing her schedule, like when she’s studying she can be found under the shade of the tree across from their building or when she'll be in the dining hall for diner. He wishes he could gain the confidence to go talk to her always looking for the perfect timing to approach her yet the time is never right. Until Bozer, so completely friendly, lively and very likable, Bozer befriended her and her roommate Leanna. Finally, he had a way in to talk to her especially when they ask him to join them for lunch. As soon as he walked into the cafe and Bozer spotted Riley he saw it, it's the same look he gets when he sees Riley. His best friend since elementary school is crushing on same the girl as him. So, maybe that's why they called it a crush because his heart broke seeing the googly eyes on Bozer's face every time she spoke to him. Bozer has always worn his heart on his sleeve much better that he ever could and so he was giving her his best jokes to keep making her laugh. Mac can't make a move now not when Bozer befriended her first so he buried it cause that's what you do when for your friends.

"So, Angus right?"

"Yeah but I prefer Mac."

"Okay, Mac. Tell me more about yourself, what are you studying?"

"I'm a physics and chemistry major with a minor in math."

"That's a lot, are you some sort of genius."

Chuckling and slightly blushing he responds "ughh, yeah maybe a little bit what about you.”

"I'm computer programming and information security double major" she responded.

Then he turns to Leanna who's been slightly quiet, he notices, "And you, Leanna?"

"I'm a psychology and sociology major," she responded.

"Well everyone knows mine, I'm a cinematography and film double major. Wow this is quite the group of overachievers for all of us to have multiple majors" Boxer responded.

"That's very true I definitely consider myself an overachiever " Leanna responded. A lot of yeses and head nods are simultaneously heard around the table knowing they all agree and each have their own overachieving moments.

"Well, I still plan on having some fun, this is supposed to be the best time of our lives anyway. Speaking of, I got invited to a party by one of my buddies that’s in a Greek house party on Friday night, would you ladies want to join us?" Bozer asked.

Riley and Leanna look at each other and both nod simultaneously. "Yes, I'm handing in this project on Friday morning and could use the chance to have fun afterwards" Riley answered.

"I haven't attended a party yet so sounds like fun" Leanna answered.

"All right, I'll find out the time and we'll stop by to head over together."

"Sounds good, I have to head to get to class, it was nice to meet you Mac" Leanna said.

"Yeah, I have to head out too, later guys." Riley packed up and followed her roommate out.

"I think that went well, did you feel any vibes from her, I felt it... and I'm hoping we can explore it at the party."

"Umm, sorry buddy I wasn't really paying attention but I'm sure you're right" he says while dying even more inside at the thought of Riley and Bozer dating.

~Night of the Party~

Standing at their front door and seeing Riley in her party outfit, Mac realizes that he won't survive this night or this crush. Not when Riley Davis is standing there in that dress with her dark eyes piercing into his soul. He can barely function or create coherent thoughts seeing her in her daily jeans, UCLA hoodies or shirt and jackets outfits combos. So, how can he attend a party where she looks drop dead gorgeous knowing if Bozer doesn't make a move tonight someone else definitely will. And he was right, as soon as they walked into the room and before Bozer even got a chance to ask her to dance with him. Riley got swept away by some guy and he didn’t let her out of his sight constantly talking and dancing with her. Although he can’t blame him she was the hottest commodity here and everyone else was waiting nearby for an opening to speak with her. Bozer noticed the same thing, feeling defeated at seeing her flirt back he disappeared into the kitchen. Mac feels his pain so he too heads outside to insert himself into a beer pong game knowing using physics he could distract himself from Riley and win. It seems even Bozer found his own distraction since the game was paused after everyone went inside to see what everyone was cheering about and he found Bozer head first into a keg. They watch in astonishment, as he was seconds away from breaking a 100-year-old keg stand record. Riley and Leanna appear out of nowhere with the guy from earlier right behind them, they came to stand next to him and cheer Bozer on. Finally, he taps out breaking the record with over 5 second claiming the title of king. So, he comes over running through the hallway with everyone patting him on back and throwing the words legend at him. He came to a stop in front of them with Riley congratulated him first and immediately taken away once again by the guy who's been following her around like a lost puppy all night. The victorious smile on Bozer's face is depleted watching her walk away.

Mac takes him outside to the fire pit, "are you all right, man."

"Yeah I guess I'm sort of realizing that Riley isn't exactly shy about her feelings and flirting when she’s interested. It seems that she might just see me as a friend. Which is fine, no need to wallow about it and wait around. I think we could be great friends so it's best to just forget about this silly crush."

"I'm sorry buddy." Mac sighs wishing he could do the same but knowing he’s been obsessed with her for moths now. "Hey I brought some water and a snack you might need it to survive the hangover that will surely come." Leanna handed him the water a bag of chips.

"Thank you, Leanna, I am definitely seeing moving stars right now." He responded already munching on the chips.

"I can stay with him Mac, it's getting a little bit too wild in there anyway" Leanna said.

"All right, I'll be right over there if you guys need me" he turns around and heads back to his beer pong game.

After unsurprisingly winning the game, Mac heads inside to go check in on his friends, he surprisingly finds Bozer and Leanna talking intimately by the fire pit and leaves them be. He heads inside instead only to find Riley and the guy from earlier on the couch, whispering in her ears while she laughs. Having seen enough he heads back inside to go play another around and forget about what he just saw.

~An hour later~

A cloud of smoke starts forming in the backyard and Mac runs inside to put out the mess he just made after trying to show the crowd a trick. He quickly heads for the door while everyone is still shocked. Riley sees his hurried back and say a good bye to Zeke and follow him also.

“Hey, you heading home Mac?”

“Yeah I think I might’ve killed the mood so I was going to ask text Bozer that I’m leaving. He was with Leanna the last time I saw him so I figured they could pass the word.”

"I'll text him Leanna and check" Riley receives the response and smiles. "Looks like she was getting overwhelmed so they left and are on a walk around campus... I knew they'd hit it off Bozer's personality is perfect for her quieter one."

"Yeah, I thought the same thing and you don't have to head out with me. I know you were having fun."

"No worries, I think I've had enough of this place, its perfect timing to leave. So, what happened exactly?"

"I just wanted to show them a trick with a ping pong ball and alcohol but I'm not sure what went wrong. I've done it many times and it should have worked, maybe it was the frats ball.”

"Yeah, I think the pool table you've turned into ashes would like to disagree. And I'm pretty sure that you've also been banned from the Zeta house."

"That sucks. I know Bozer will be upset he's made quite a name for himself in there with that keg stand record."

"It was quite a ... sight? And hey! Maybe he'll put in a good word for you to get you back in there."

"I think I'll be okay, I'm sure at some point all these parties just becomes a repeat of this."

"Yeah, it got repetitive pretty quick."

So, they head on their walk while getting to know each other more and Mac realizes that befriending her is not going to work well for him. She’s so funny, sweet and so incredibly smart some of the topics and softwares she brings up not even he could keep up with the conversation and its usually the other way around for him when talking to people. He couldn’t’ help but wish this walk never ended, now that he’s spoken and gotten to know Riley it’s much easier to fall exponentially more than admiring her from a distance as a stranger. Mac has memorized and calculated the time it takes to walk through most campus, knowing he tends to be late for everything. So, he knows if they keep up with this pace, they'll be back at the dorm in 5 minutes and that's too little alone time with Riley. So, he stops, sits by the bench facing the lake pretending to tie his shoes and thanking every God that exists when she sits next to him and looks straight ahead resuming her speech on the project she’s working on. Mac wishes nothing more in that moment than hoping he could slow down time because he can’t help but think about how he never wants this night to end. He simply wants to continue sitting here next to her, with her shoulders brushing his, her hair chiming each time the wind flows through it, simply believing that he has discovered heaven on earth in Riley Davis.


	2. Thanksgiving Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this will help since it's AU and their parental life is also different.
> 
> -Helen and James are still alive and both work as scientists.
> 
> -Diane and Jack are together and have two kids, Elwood is still Riley's biological father but left them to go find "himself" and ended creating another family.

~Last Day on campus before break~

Last exam of the day and Mac simply dropped dead on his bed after a week full of exams, it was at least a nice reprieve from thinking about Riley needing to study so hard. They’ve gotten a lot closer since that night on the bench exchanging numbers and creating a group chat for the 4 of them to plan hang outs. Bozer and Leanna dating means he gets invited on group outing regularly to partner up with Riley so none of them have to be the third wheel. It also meant Leanna and Bozer are in their own little bubble during their hangouts allowing Riley and him time to talk and get to know each other separately from their friends, she had become his best friend easily especially with Bozer spending more time with Leanna. Mac was in falling in love and although it's the first time he knew it to be true even Bozer happily pointed out when he described his feelings for Riley and how she makes him feel. He went from simply, noticing her to worshipping her and being wholeheartedly infatuated with everything she does or say. And God, does he love hearing her talk every information she shares is automatically stored in his brain wanting to know and remember everything about her. Parents tend to worry about their kids going into college and getting involved in drugs and alcohol but unfortunately his drug is a person. Riley is a very calculated and complex drug blend that makes the chemical in his brains malfunction anytime she's near him and even when she’s away from him he’s missing and craving her. He has a hard time staying away from her and if he was the typical student he's sure his grades would be tanking by now from how he neglects his studies anytime he gives them up for an opportunity to hang out with her. Luckily, those classes come easy for him, his father has been teaching fluid mechanics since he was young, when he was helping him build his engineering prototypes in their garage.

Things were going well until…. Zeke. He went from some random guy texting her to stringing along when they hangout. He learned that he’s the guy she met at the party who has made it his mission to suck up any free time Riley might have. Leanna loves him because he's also psychology and she has classes with him. Meanwhile Bozer loves his positive and upbeat energy but not him though he hasn't figured out the reason yet but the point still stands.... he very much dislikes Zeke. The few times he's hung out with all of them, he grills him waiting for him to mess up and say something to prove there's a reason to dislike him yet he answers them perfectly… too perfectly! Zeke spent so much time with her that he didn't even get to say goodbye before she left for thanksgiving break cause he offered to drive her back-home right after classes. Which is how he found himself missing her on thanksgiving evening and sends her a happy thanksgiving message and to his surprise he sees her calling him right after. Quickly answering the call and ready to give her anything she wants, he breathlessly answers "Riley!"

"Hey, I know it's thanksgiving and you said you weren't doing anything so are you free by any chance?"

"Yeah, my mom got stuck on a business trip with the snow and between me and my dad it's a fire hazard waiting to happen if we try to cook so we went through the take outs pretty quickly. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I kind of did some dramatic storming out of my house. And Leanna's out of state back home with her family. I know the Wilt's take their holiday celebration and you're my closest friend here. I guess I kind of wanted to just vent to a non-family member."

"You said you ran out, I can come to you instead if that helps?"

"I'm at this park. I'll send you the address."

A little while later he found himself pulled into an empty lot, to see Riley on the swings, her back turned to him, looking at the birds by the pond and joining her in the swing next to her.

"Hey!"

"Hey, thanks for coming you really didn't have to."

"I honestly don't mind, it was either this or watch some movie chosen by my dad. Are you okay though?"

She took in a big sigh, "yeah, I was ambushed tonight. Turns out my mom invited my biological dad and his family to come join us for dinner."

"Oh! I didn't know Jack wasn't your biological father."

"I mean he is my dad in every sense but yeah Elwood is my biological father and he left us when I was pretty young then turned his life around and created this new family without us. And I was okay with the distance between us... but now he wants back into my life. Saying that being away at college showed him that he's missing out on a lot in my life and he doesn't want to miss even more. Which is rich considering he's missed so much already so I just got so pissed off that I walked out. I mean all this time he lived 2 hours away and never tried but now he wants to be involved in my life. Then having to listen to him say all that while sitting next to his perfect family that he's excluded me from yet everyone expects me to just forgive him and start new. Ughh, I just got mad and ran away because I don’t think that I can deal with it right now”

"I'm sorry... Riles, and I mean it sounds like you were cornered which no one appreciates so you had every right to step out."

After a moment she cocked her head and asked "Riles?"

"Oh sorry, guess I was just trying it out." Lying smoothly knowing damn well he's been proving to himself that he knows her better than Zeke who's overused Riley too much around him so he's been figuring out all sorts of unique nicknames in his head till he settled on this one and now internally freaking out that she wouldn't like it.

"No, it's fine I like it, my only name nickname is Ry and only my dad calls me that, so Riles sounds pretty nice actually."

"All right then Riles is here to stay. And I might not be able to relate to your dad leaving you but it sounds like he is trying although the timing and method are not great. He still made a pretty big move and it sounds like your parents at least have forgiven him so now he’s looking for yours. Since he overwhelmed you by coming on too fast then ask him to give you time and distance to work and create a new relationship with him."

"Yeah, you're right, are you sure you don't want to be a psychologist like Leanna."

Chuckling he replies, "well if physics doesn't work out then it's definitely my back up plan."

"Well you'd be good at it just like you're a really good friend Mac." And she does the unexpected and takes his hand that was hanging by his side and squeeze's it giving him some very serious heart palpitations. He drops his head after she lets go of his hand to hide the sadness reflecting in his eyes at hearing the word “friend” and the heartbreak he's going through. "Anytime Riles" he whispers quietly "anytime." They sit there in the silence relishing in each other’s company and talking about anything and everything to distract Riley, knowing she doesn’t want to go home yet and he also doesn't this quiet time with her to ever end.

~Freshmen year 2nd semester~

"So, our first spring break. What's the plan?" Bozer ask while they're hanging out on the quad.

"I don't have one but I do want to at least participate in one fun spring break trip while we're all here." Riley responded.

"I though Zeke was going to Florida with his fraternity you're not going with him?" Leanna asked.

"Well, considering that we've only been hanging out and haven't even been on an official date now add the fact that he's going to Florida for spring break as a single man and didn't ask me to join... then no I will not be going anywhere with Zeke. Besides I would much prefer to plan and go on a fun trip with you guys instead of the usual Florida break" she grins and everyone nods, copying her exited energy.

"Well, I'm tired of the heat and I wouldn't mind going to a colder climate so how about a ski trip instead?" Mac pitched

"Yes, that'd be so much fun we've been trying to go skiing for the longest time. Bozer responded enthusiastically. 

"Yeah, I'm in too Leanna chimed in."

"I know about this place cause of their amazing view of the Aurora borealis called the _Bristol Pit Ski Resort_ and it's perfect you can ski, they have a restaurant with plastic igloos if you want to see the view while eating, a fire pit for s'mores, a spa and more!"

"All right Mac, we get it you really want to go to this place so we're sold!" Riley grinned brightly.

"Yeah man, we're in and I can handle the hotel reservations, I have a cousin who can give us good rates and coupon codes for hotel packages." Bozer said.

"I can deal with the plane tickets and maybe give us a little upgrade and some perks." Riley smirked.

"Well, all right then the gang is heading to Canada!" Bozer yelled making everyone laugh as they all look excitedly at one another looking forward to their first spring break together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh next chapter is spring break, they might be sharing a blanket under the stars, there might be "we have to share a room trope"..hint hint ;)


End file.
